Tiger Queen
By: Andrea Sadowski
Carole Baskin, star of the immensely popular Netflix series Tiger King is now on Dancing with the Stars, to my great delight. Obviously, her and her dance partner were dressed head to toe in colourful cat prints, with Carole wearing her signature tacky flower crown. It only took 60 seconds for Carole to destroy the song “Eye of the Tiger” for me. Everything about the performance was horrific: there were a few very basic waltz steps that looked forced and stiff, and plenty of over-exaggerated and weird facial expressions that will haunt my nightmares. The absolute best part of this performance was not the dance but a commercial that aired in the commercial breaks starring the daughters, the former assistant of Don Lewis — Baskin’s ex-husband — and the family’s lawyer. They ask for tips about his whereabouts, as he went missing in 1997. If you’ve watched Tiger King you might already be convinced that Baskin was involved in Lewis’s disappearance; I, for one, think Baskin’s husband’s disappearance was just a little too convenient for her. I just want to congratulate Don Lewis’s family for raining on Baskin’s parade during her Dancing debut.
A miserable little pile of aesthetics
By: Mikaela Collins
Like many others caught in the throes of quarantine, I, a couple months ago, gave myself bangs. And recently, like many others caught in the throes of not being able to see, I ordered new glasses, and, like many others caught in the throes of being cold and underprepared for fall, I bought a turtleneck sweater. My hair? Shoulder length. My glasses? Round. My turtleneck? Black. And I look like… something. The little-known fifth Beatle? Steve Jobs’ red-headed step-child? Basically any person who posts watercolour paintings and adorable pictures of thriving houseplants on Instagram? (Probably not that one, since my pothos is dying next to me as I type this.) I feel like I’ve unlocked a new identity for myself, but I don’t know what it is or how to further embody it. I am open to suggestions — and plant care tips.
My bookshelf and I’s relationship is struggling
By: Chandy Dancey
For most people, reading for pleasure outside of classes is like a shooting star: you’ll hear about it but never see it happen. My quest to read more fiction started this summer when I started to watch book YouTubers who discuss what they read on a monthly basis. I’m definitely reading more as a result, but the problem that I’ve found is that my to-be-read list has grown too large and daunting to approach. On top of that, I never end up working through the jungle that is my bookshelf because I keep getting enticed by the new, shiny books I hear about. (Why is it that books stop being new and shiny as soon as you own them?) Surrounding yourself with people who have habits you want to emulate is definitely motivating (even if it’s just digitally), but I’ve realized that I’m a little too easily influenced. It’s time my bookshelf got some tender loving care, and, dammit, I’m going to give it to her.
Illustration: Rain Neeposh/The Cascade
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
Chandy is a biology major/chemistry minor who's been a staff writer, Arts editor, and Managing Editor at The Cascade. She began writing in elementary school when she produced Tamagotchi fanfiction to show her peers at school -- she now lives in fear that this may have been her creative peak.